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Sheffield Plate
Discovered by accident in the 1700’s and used for nearly 100 years following, Sheffield Plate was the favored technique for making elegant-looking silver service for the middle class. The process used heat to fuse silver to a thick copper base which then could be hammered into thinner sheets to produce a multitude of items. Sheffield Plate was eventually outmoded following the invention of electroplating which could use far less silver – thereby being more economical - and produce a more brilliant luster.
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